So what does alcohol and art have in common? Well, in some cases, some people may need enough alcohol to appreciate art, but in this case, I saw the absolute opposite. Within the walls of the museum of Locke’s distillery, I saw the ‘art’ of the presentation of its pieces, which brings distilled life, when captured on camera, into still life.

This all happened a couple of years ago on one of those road trips around Ireland when we stumbled upon Locke’s Distillery. Of course the Sun was over the yard-arm so we could imbibe with a modicum of tasting; although we ‘did not swallow’, which allowed us to continue onto our nightly destination. Regardless, we strongly recommend the Locke’s or Kilbeggan Whiskey Distillery experience, which was formerly known as the Brusna Distillery and Locke’s Distillery on the River Brosna at Kilbeggan, in Co. Westmeath, in the heart of Ireland and is the most perfect place to indulge in some enjoyable local history.

It has been a small-pot still distillery since 1757. Over a hundred years of operation, John Locke took over the distillery in 1843; however, it took just less than another one hundred years after that before it closed in 1957. Although I have been informed that production from the distilliary would produce sales in 2014, I have not heard anything further. The promise was for three brands: Kilbeggan, Locke’s Blend and Locke’s Malt. If anyone has any further information, please let me know.